Police Issue Gift Cards Instead of Tickets

A North Texas police department is handing out gift cards instead of tickets. This week, the Prosper Police Department is rewarding good traffic habits. “I have never been pulled over before, so I was like, ‘Oh no,'” Prosper resident Caitlin Woody said. Woody was surprised not to receive a ticket. She was handed a gift card — a reward for good driving. “I was like, ‘That is really awesome’. It makes my day,” Woody said.

The majority of the giving happens in schools zone. Police stop people dropping off their kids to surprise them with the $10 gift cards. “There’s such a high concentration of drivers at pick-up and drop-off times that we can safely approach those vehicles,” Assistant Prosper Police Chief Gary McHone said. “Maybe they had a safe speed coming into a parking lot, their inspections were up-to-date, they were using the safety belts in the vehicles, and their child was in a safety restraint.” McHone said it’s their way to live up to a well-known police motto. “To protect and serve — I think this is a key component in serving is to acknowledge and give thanks to our community,” McHone said.